by Romi Hart
“You’re right. If I don’t make my existence known, he’s never going to realize I’m interested.” She smoothed her hair with one hand while her other hand slid down over her tank top. She sauntered through the bar, eyes never leaving Eli’s backside as she admired it from a distance. Finally within reach of him, Aurora slipped up beside him and the other biker he was chatting with.
“Hey, it’s Eli, right?” she asked, a smile as sweet as sin overtaking her face. Eli glanced at her, then back at his friend and immediately followed with his conversation.
“Yeah, I feel like Ten Thousand is a game not too many know anymore either. Pool is standard, but dice like that, you only find a few players here and there,” he mumbled. Rory glanced at the other guy and back over toward Leigh. She winked at Rory, smiling widely, as if she had completely missed what had just happened.
Feeling about the size of an ant, Aurora mumbled as she turned to walk away, “Okay, then.” Moving through the bar quickly, Aurora shook her head and made a beeline for the door, with Leigh at her heels.
“What are you doing?” she asked, barely catching Rory as she slid out the door.
“What’s it look like?” she asked in annoyance, slipping her jacket over her shoulders as she walked out into the breeze, full of swirling dust.
“Like you’re pissed as royal fuck and headed to god knows where, to be real,” Leigh stated.
“Yeah, and this princess is about ready to throw a right hook at the next annoying thing that pops in my face. Leigh, please don’t let it be you.” Rory mumbled.
“Okay, won’t take that personally, but what the hell happened?”
“I’ve got shit to do. I’m headed to yoga class,” Rory muttered.
“Okay, well you go and get all Zen then, but call me later?” she asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Aurora replied.
* * *
Call it sexual frustration or a lack of confidence, but Rory couldn’t believe how things went down at the clubhouse. It also really ruffled her feathers that Eli had the nerve to treat her like she wasn’t even there.
Standing in the locker room, all she could think of was working her anger out somehow. Hoisting her tank top off, she flexed her shoulders slightly to adjust her sports bra. Factually, Aurora was a gorgeous woman, but at the moment she felt anything but, and all of it could be properly credited to one jerk of a biker who refused to give her even the smallest acknowledgement like the time of day.
She slid on a light t-shirt and wriggled her backside into a pair of black yoga pants, which accentuated every curve that the incredibly blessed young woman possessed. She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and exited the locker room, making a beeline for the bench press. Sure, she was a girl, but Rory could lift some serious weight, and with the way she was feeling, it was better to push it off her chest than to knock someone in the teeth, though either would’ve worked. There were a few moments to kill before her class started, and Rory knew she needed to project all that negative energy somewhere quick.
“Hey,” a handsome baldheaded man stated as he walked up to her. “You need any help?” he asked. Rory forced a smile and shook her head.
“No, believe me when I say, I may look delicate, but there’s some incredible strength hiding under this.” She waved at her own body. A light chuckle slid from the man’s lips.
“I’d say so, from looking you over, I’d say there is some fine muscle mass under all of that.” He winked playfully as he admired her physique. Rory’s lip dipped in slightly as a half-smile graced her face, her eyes lighting up briefly from the obvious pass the guy had just made.
“Well, I’d say that you have a way with the ladies,” Rory muttered, shaking her head as she continued with a slight smile. As good as it felt to have someone else point out that she was still a living, breathing and attractive woman, Aurora felt a sense of sadness wash over her because it wasn’t the one she wanted, and as fun as it may be to throw one’s inhibitions to the wind with the first cute guy who glanced her way, Rory had been holding out. And, honestly, that was the way she wanted to keep it for now.
“Mind if I show you my way?” he asked, raising his eyebrows excitedly. Rory chuckled and shook her head, realizing her interlude of lifting wasn’t going to happen, not with only ten minutes until class started.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ve got a class to teach.” She slipped out into the main corridor and made her way toward the back room where her pupils were likely already waiting.
“Tsk, shame. Maybe later, teach,” the man stated. Rory could feel his eyes burning into her back as she rounded the corner and disappeared.
Why the hell can’t Eli have a reaction like that? I mean, damn that man was fine but totally not my type, she thought miserably. It was true there was a varsity aura that surrounded the guy, and while he was good looking, there was just an all-around too uniform appearance. And gym guys typically carried it way too far. It gave Rory the impression of making love to a steel wall, not exactly romantic.
Oddly, Rory had always pictured Leigh winding up with someone like that. She was the squeaky-clean good girl, the average innocent girl next door. Hell, cheerleader and quarterback status is what she had always pictured Leigh with, which was why she’d indulged the ridiculously boring relationship her friend had with Chris. A guy just like that one back there, she mused.
Sauntering into the classroom, she smiled as she looked over two of her favorite pupils, DeLaney and Carlene. The two were young twins but couldn’t be further from the same, as if two ends of the same magnet. Though both had fire engine, naturally red hair, Carlene wore hers cropped in a style that Rory had dubbed the Aeon Flux because it looked just like Charlize Theron’s hair in the movie. DeLaney, on the other hand, had incredibly long and thick hair that she kept swept back in various beautiful and intricate braids.
“Rory!” both girls exclaimed happily as she walked in the room. Rory grinned widely as she stepped forward to hug the girls.
“Hey, you guys ready for a great session?” Rory asked enthusiastically.
“Laney has a date tonight,” Carlene mumbled, biting into her lower lip, just to the side of her center lip ring. It was a tic she resorted to whenever she was about to splurge or gossip.
“A date?” Rory folded her arms over her chest and smiled as she thought, A sixteen-year-old ginger has a date and I couldn’t even so much as get a passing glance from Eli. Damn.
“Well, I wouldn’t call it a date, Rory. Carly just keeps getting ahead of herself,” DeLaney muttered, “I have a science project partner that is truly the hottest guy in school, though. I think his girlfriend is probably majorly crushed by his need to spend time with another girl for any reason.”
“Oh, please. Tell me you see how beautiful you are, Miss Luxurious Redhead with striking blue eyes. I can definitely see why any girlfriend would be intimidated,” Rory commented, hoping to lift Laney’s spirits. Why was it that all girls thought so little of themselves and never seemed to realize their own true beauty until it was too late? Of course, she realized instantly that she was just as guilty of the very same thing. If anyone ever thought age got rid of those doubts, they were wrong. It didn’t go away unless you spent a hell of a long time building a strong foundation of self-confidence.
And Rory had. For most of her adult life, she’d been almost as arrogant as any strutting bachelor. But lately, she had been drilling at her own foundation with a jackhammer, and she could already feel her stability crumbling from beneath.
“I guess I’m guilty of the sin of self-mutilation,” Laney muttered. Rory tilted her head, quirking her eyebrows curiously.
“What?” she asked. Carly shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“She means she’s guilty of self-loathing. She wouldn’t dare destroy herself physically. She’s too sensible to do something like that.” Rory realized instantly that she too was a repeat offender when it came to annihilating her own self-esteem.
“Well,
it sounds like we all have something to work out through class today, don’t we?” Rory asked, smiling with a wink, “Go ahead and take your positions. I’ve got something I want to go over with everyone once positions are full.” Laney’s eyes brightened, ever excited to hear what new things Rory might introduce to the class. She immediately sat down and crossed her legs, closing her eyes as she curled her fingers into her palms and rested her hands atop her knees with the palms facing the heavens.
Watching her, Rory reflected inwardly, her mind still focused on what she was doing wrong that made Eli impossible to crack, and it was with this in her head that she realized that was exactly what she was doing wrong. Assuming she was the problem. And with renewed logic, Rory took position smiling as she looked over her class. Nothing is going to stop me henceforth. I will get what I want, one way or another. She solidified her intentions in her mind in that moment; the one thing she had control over was her own universal projections. Best to project her true intentions and absorb the repercussions of going after what she wanted most.
“So, to open class today I want to talk about a new idea I had, but it all depends on your comfort zones. It is possible I may branch out to having two smaller classes if only a few of you want to participate in what I’m thinking of doing,” Rory said.
“What are you thinking?” Carly asked immediately.
“Well, yoga ribbons. Time to tie off a new adventure and get rid of some self-doubt. Seems to be a necessary step to all of our success. Zen is a state of being. We want to be in that state with absolute serenity. Sometimes that means taking chances and pushing ourselves beyond our usual comfort zones,” Rory explained, noting how true that was.
“Oh, wow! Can we really progress onto that level yet?” Laney busted out loud.
“Well, I’m not sure about that yet. How about we take a vote?” Rory asked, grinning widely.
“Seems like a plan,” Laney muttered, rising as she approached Rory, “I can collect the votes. You have a vessel?” she asked. Rory nodded and turned behind her to produce a small wicker basket.
“Will this work?” she asked. Laney nodded and winked.
“And now, paper and pen,” she stated. Rory chuckled. These were the reasons why she loved Carly and Laney so much. They were both eager to help in any way possible, which was the one thing they shared in common that Rory valued most.
* * *
Aurora found herself walking through the gym parking lot with a lot on her mind. Most of her students seemed really enthused by the idea of adding the ribbons for yoga to their routine, but she still needed to discuss it with the director of the center. There were a million variables to consider with it, especially liability and insurance, but the plus side was it gave her something positive to focus on working toward.
Other than continually obsessing over what Eli’s problem was and why he had so rudely given her the iciest shoulder she had ever felt in her life.
She still wasn’t giving up on what she wanted most, and her attraction to Eli only seemed to grow stronger with the rejection, as if she felt challenged to show him what a fool he would be to pass someone like her up. And then there was Leigh’s celebration of becoming an old lady, something that Rory knew she couldn’t pass up or miss, not without causing a major rift to form between her and her friend.
Thunderous booming roared in her ears, and Rory turned around quickly, glancing toward the main highway that ran adjacent to the parking lot as a row of bikers flew by. She quickly inspected the regalia on their leathers and pursed her lips, they were indeed Devil’s Flames riders, but Aurora wasn’t sure she recognized any of them. Then again, the whirl that blew by her might have been impossible for anyone to recognize.
She sighed as she watched the taillights disappear off the horizon and pined, wishing she could be the one undergoing the famed celebration Leigh was privileged to be a part of. “And life is just one clusterfuck of emotional ups and downs, day in and day out,” she huffed aloud, leaning into her door and turning the key. She lowered herself into the driver’s seat and slammed the door quickly.
The celebration would have a hand in how she progressed next when it came to pursuing Eli, and she determined to make herself look downright deadly beautiful. She could be badass, and she was about to show all of them. Her eyes rose to the rearview mirror as she looked back in the direction the bikers had flown past and chuckled softly. If Leigh’s perfect and saintly ass could land herself a dangerous and handsome biker, Aurora damn well could, too. And it wouldn’t be just anyone, but one of the Devil’s Flames because the flame of temptation had ignited a spark within Rory, and she had to admit she kind of like it.
2
Women were trouble, plain and simple, but only a eunuch could have kept his gaze off Aurora. It was easy to see she had all the right curves in all the best places, but even so, she wasn’t worth the trouble. Eli had enough of a bitch in handling his bike and duties; the last thing he needed was another rough and tumble with some clinger that wanted a good time, or worse – something ‘more’. It was just a big and messy game he didn’t want shit to do with. These days all Eli wanted was to mind his own fucking business and be left in peace, something that he didn’t feel was too damn much to ask for.
“You didn’t have to be such a cold asshole, Eli,” Zeke muttered, gently dropping his shot glass to the table in front of them. He pulled out a cigarette and brought it to his lips, eyes rising to meet with Eli’s as he spoke.
“I don’t need a bitch right now, Zeke – or ever for that matter,” Eli mumbled.
“Dude, she is hotter than Fireball and Red Bull, scorching up the heat, and her eyes were glued to your ass. I don’t think you realize what you’re missing out on,” Zeke muttered, chuckling slightly, “Besides, my girl brought her here to have fun, and you ruined that. You could have at least talked to her like a civil human being.”
“I’m not a civil human being,” Eli grunted, lifting his shot glass and slamming back his whiskey, allowing the tumbler to slip from his grip with a tinking sound as it hit the table.
“Oh, please, you’re full of shit. She’s a sweet girl. Stop being such a dick all the time,” Zeke stated as Leigh came traipsing toward the table.
“Hey, babe,” she muttered, smiling as she glanced at Eli with a light nod, “Can we talk?” she asked. Zeke rolled his eyes over toward Eli and he nodded as he glanced back toward his soon-to-be old lady.
“Sure, babe. Want to get a drink and go outside?” he asked, nodding toward the rear of the warehouse. Eli leaned back in his chair as the two of them moved into the shadows toward the bar. Lifting his empty glass, he groaned lightly. Why the fuck can’t he just let things be? he wondered, reflecting on Zeke’s words.
Eli had experienced the whole glorified ride or die mentality of being with someone before, and it had ended with his heart crushed, a feeling he worked hard to numb every second of every day. It was a pain that Zeke didn’t fully grasp, and he certainly didn’t want to go jumping on the first mare to bare her backside his way. A real cowboy knows better, he reminded himself.
A woman like Rory was unbridled and untamed, and while so many bikers got the rap of loving a round on the wild and crazy, there was a time when being the bitch whisperer got old for anybody. That, and there was a stigma and notoriety that skanks liked to attach to a biker – bike, cock, and balls were really all they cared about. To Eli, that was exactly the aura that the salivating Rory gave him. Zeke had been right about one thing, she had kept her eyes pasted on him like a dog with a bleeding steak dangling just out of reach. And women think they’re the only ones who are objectified? he scoffed.
He knew Leigh was about to complain to Zeke about his distasteful handling of Rory’s approach when all she wanted to do was talk. The problem was, Eli didn’t want to talk. He never really cared to talk, least of all to engage in idle chit chat with some chick who had a hard-on for motorcycle club members. He likened it to the same feeling musicians must have felt whe
n it came to roadies.
There was another key difference about Eli, though he could have his pick of the whores who frequented the club. He simply didn’t want any.
Maybe that’s where I went wrong. he mused, realizing that he had acted pretty dickish to someone he barely knew and that, maybe, he had wrongly judged her. Now feeling at odds within himself, Eli recognized he had done something he himself hated having done to him; judged someone by how they looked rather than who they were.
“Ah, fuck,” he said, his mind sobering slightly as he sat there, twirling the glass on the table. He’d have to be nicer to her at the old lady celebration, at least out of respect for customs and for Zeke’s big move. It meant that Leigh would now be part of the MC family, and Eli needed to keep himself in check where her friends and family were concerned, by nature of creed and honor, two things that Eli held in high regard. He rose and walked over to the bar, pointing at the Jack Daniels’ Tennessee Honey bottle that sat damn near full on the shelf. Eli had been considering downing the whole thing for a couple days now.
“You think anybody is ever going to drink that syrup?” he asked, chuckling. The bartender turned back at him and gave a shrug.
“Not sure, you want her?” he asked, referencing the nearly full bottle, “It’s actually pretty damn good if you ask me, and yeah it’s sweet, but honey does something different to and for ya than your usual sugar.”
“Is that your official recommendation?” Eli asked gruffly.
“Damn straight. You want it or not?” he asked again.
“I guess give me a double. I doubt a single will do much for me,” Eli said matter-of-factly. The bartender laughed.
